The main opposition People Power Party and minor opposition People’s Party on Monday completed their merger, 47 days after President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol and the presidential transition committee head Ahn Cheol-soo merged their campaigns during the election. The center-right People Party, which was created in February 2020 by Ahn after he left the Bareunmirae Party, was in effect absorbed by the larger People Power Party after two years and two months. The name of the party remains the

Politics April 18, 2022

Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo submitted his resignation on Sunday in protest of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s push for the bill to strip prosecutors of their investigative powers. “I feel responsible for the legislative process of abolishing the prosecution’s investigation function as the prosecution was again pointed out as a target of reform,” Kim said in a written statement released on the day. “As the prosecutor general, I submitted my resignation

Politics April 17, 2022

Young people in many parts of Africa lack opportunities for more comprehensive education, and need support, says Rev. Park Ock-soo, founder of the nonprofit International Youth Fellowship. Recalling a story of a student burning down a school apparently over a trivial disagreement with a teacher, Rev. Park said that such incidents are a result of a lack of “thinking skills and self-control,” and that many young people on the continent lack access to guidance and education that woul

Social Affairs April 14, 2022

The ruling and opposition parties are clashing over a plan to strip prosecutors of their investigative powers and the new administration’s nominee for justice minister. On Thursday, Prosecutor General Kim Oh-soo met Park Kwang-on, head of the parliament’s legislation and judiciary committee, to express objection to the ruling party’s move to enact legislation to deprive it of its remaining investigative powers. During the meeting, held hours before the legislation committee&

Politics April 14, 2022

Swedish Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlen and his wife Helena Norlen, on an official visit to Korea at the invitation of National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug, met with President Lee Sang-kyun of the Korea-Sweden Arts and Culture Society (KOSACS) to share views on cultural ties and exchanges between the two countries. President Lee said at the meeting, “Artistic and cultural exchanges between countries awaken citizens’ cultural sensibilities and passions, while providing th

Social Affairs April 12, 2022

The slogan of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration ceremony on May 10 is “Again, Korea! A new nation of people,” the presidential inauguration preparation committee said Monday. It also confirmed that boy band BTS will not perform at the ceremony. “The ceremony was planned considering the nation, which is taking a leap forward and where the people are the owners,” said Park Joo-sun, chairman of the presidential preparation committee. Regarding reports th

Politics April 11, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s new government is taking shape, with the transition committee saying Yoon would start work at the Yongsan Defense Ministry building immediately after taking office and the Cabinet will be formed based on the current government organization. “President Yoon Suk-yeol will begin his presidency without a security gap on the day the new government is inaugurated on May 10,” a transition committee official said Thursday. The committee said the reloc

Politics April 7, 2022

The presidential transition committee is facing rising criticism from BTS fans over reports that it is considering including the band in President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s inauguration ceremony. More than 1,000 comments were posted on the presidential transition committee’s website protesting the plan. Most comments were like “the inauguration ceremony is not a festival,” “BTS is not politicians’ plaything,” or “Don‘t use BTS politically.&rd

Politics April 7, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s close aide Kim Eun-hye announced her bid for Gyeonggi Province governor, heating up the race for what is considered the biggest prize of the June 1 location elections. The journalist-turned-politician who was Yoon’s spokesperson held a press conference Wednesday, saying, “I, Kim Eun-hye, as a Korean citizen and Gyeonggi Province resident, declare my candidacy for the governor of Gyeonggi Province.” The first-term lawmaker vowed to make

Politics April 6, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is unlikely to begin his term in the new presidential office as the time frame is too short to relocate in, Yoon’s office conceded Wednesday. “Once the reserve funds for the relocation are approved (at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday), working-level discussions will begin in earnest,” said Yoon’s spokesperson Bae Hyun-jin at a morning briefing. “It is impossible to relocate the office on May 10 due to the time spent (for the previo

Politics April 6, 2022

Cheong Wa Dae will hold an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to decide on the funds for the relocation of the presidential office, a top official said Tuesday. The move would tap into the reserve budget, which is earmarked for unpredicted expenditures, and cost around 36 billion won ($29.7 million). It excludes the funding needed for relocating the Joint Chiefs of Staff offices. “President Moon Jae-in received a report on the government’s review of the reserve fund for

Politics April 5, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s pledge to restore relations with Tokyo appears likely to experience difficulties, with the issue of distorting history in Japanese textbooks reemerging. Yoon stressed Seoul-Tokyo relations as a priority during his campaign, and expectations have risen since his election win. Yoon is reportedly considering sending a delegation to Japan for policy coordination and to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida around May. Before Yoon could put his word

Foreign Affairs April 4, 2022

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday evening spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia. “President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol held a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at 5 p.m. on Tuesday,” Yoon’s spokesperson said in a written statement. “As Ukraine is currently in a war situation, please understand that it is difficult to disclose the details of the call,” the s

Politics March 29, 2022

An advocacy group for the disabled said Tuesday it would halt its protests in the subway in response to a request by the presidential transition committee, which vowed to “make efforts” to meet their demands. The presidential transition committee met with the protest organizer, the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, in the morning, listening to their concerns and asking them to halt the subway protests, which disrupted morning commutes and other travel. Hours after the m

Politics March 29, 2022

President Moon Jae-in on Monday said he will cooperate with the relocation of the presidential office after closely reviewing the budget during the dinner meeting with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, according to Yoon’s top official. The dinner meeting began at 6 p.m. and lasted about two and a half hours, attended by Moon’s Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min and Yoon’s Chief of Staff Jang Je-won. After the meeting ended, Jang held a press briefing at 9:30 p.m. and said the two ta

Politics March 28, 2022